Salt and pepper chips

Name: Salt and pepper chips
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 kg frozen chips, or 900g potatoes cut into chips; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 green pepper, finely sliced; 1 onion, finely sliced; 1 red chilli, sliced; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 3 spring onions, sliced; 1.5 tsp fine sea salt; 1.5 tsp ground white pepper; 1 tsp Chinese five spice; 0.5 tsp chilli flakes; 0.5 tsp caster sugar

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The best thing on the Chinese takeaway menu, and the easiest to make badly. Get the chips properly crisp first, season last, and they taste like the ones from the foil tray.

Salt and pepper chips

Crisp chips tossed with five spice salt, white pepper, green pepper and chilli. The British Chinese takeaway side, made at home.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Calories: 466

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1 kg frozen chips, or 900g potatoes cut into chips
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 green pepper, finely sliced
1 onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 spring onions, sliced
1.5 tsp fine sea salt
1.5 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp Chinese five spice
0.5 tsp chilli flakes
0.5 tsp caster sugar

Method

Cook the chips in the air fryer at 200C for 20 to 25 minutes, or in the oven five minutes past the packet time, until deep gold and properly crisp.
While they cook, mix the salt, white pepper, five spice, chilli flakes and sugar in a small bowl.
Slice all the vegetables and set them by the hob.
Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat. Stir fry the green pepper and onion for 90 seconds.
Add the garlic and red chilli and cook for 30 seconds.
Tip in the hot chips and toss for 60 seconds.
Take the pan off the heat, scatter over the seasoning and the spring onions, and toss once more.
Serve immediately, while the chips are still loud.

Notes

Nutrition figures are an estimate worked out from the ingredient list. Values will shift with brands, cuts and how much frying oil is taken up.

Why this recipe works

Most home versions go wrong at the same point. The chips go into the wok while still soft, the seasoning draws out moisture, and the whole lot turns limp. Here the chips are cooked hard first and the wok stage lasts under two minutes.

Oven or air fryer chips do the heavy lifting.
The wok is only for the peppers, chilli and seasoning.
Everything is prepped before the chips come out, so nothing waits around.

What do Chinese takeaways use for salt and pepper chips?

The seasoning is salt, ground white pepper and Chinese five spice, usually with a little sugar and chilli flake. The fresh part is sliced green pepper, onion, red chilli and spring onion, flashed through a hot wok. The chips themselves are plain, cooked twice for crispness.

Are salt and pepper chips a British thing?

Yes. Salt and pepper chips are a British Chinese takeaway dish and you will not find them on menus in China. They are strongly associated with the north west of England, where they sit on almost every Chinese takeaway menu next to salt and pepper chicken and ribs.

Tips for the crispiest chips

Crispness comes from dryness and heat, in that order. Cook the chips longer than the packet says, and do not cover them at any point.

Air fryer at 200C for 20 to 25 minutes beats the oven.
With fresh potatoes, rinse off the starch and dry them thoroughly.
Slice the vegetables and mix the seasoning before the chips finish.
Toss for 60 to 90 seconds in the wok, no longer.

Swaps and variations

The seasoning works on anything fried and starchy, so the recipe stretches a long way.

Sweet potato chips, cooked a few minutes shorter.
Halloumi fries, seasoned off the heat.
Add crisp fried tofu or leftover chicken to make it a meal.
For salt and chilli chips, double the chilli flakes and add a sliced green chilli.

Make ahead and storage

Mix the dry seasoning in advance and keep it in a jar. It holds for months and takes this dish from twenty minutes down to ten. The finished chips do not keep well. Reheat leftovers in an air fryer for five minutes rather than the microwave.

What to serve with salt and pepper chips

They are a side dish, and they work hardest next to something saucy to mop up. A full fakeaway spread for four usually means these plus two mains and a noodle dish.

Salt and pepper chicken, for the matching pair
Beef in black bean sauce
Chinese chicken curry, with the chips dunked straight in
Crispy chilli beef

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen oven chips?

Yes, and most takeaways use a frozen chip too. Cook them five minutes past the packet time so they are properly crisp before they hit the wok.

Can I make them in an air fryer?

Yes. Cook the chips at 200C for 20 to 25 minutes, then toss them with the seasoning and the stir fried vegetables in a large bowl. You still need a pan for the peppers and chilli.

Why do mine go soggy?

The chips went into the wok before they were crisp, or they stayed in too long. Salt pulls moisture to the surface, so season at the very end and serve immediately.

Black pepper or white pepper?

White. It gives the sharp heat that defines the dish. Black pepper tastes woody here and will not get you there.

Shop this

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Ground white pepper. Sharper and more common in Chinese cooking than black pepper.
Szechuan peppercorns. For the tingling heat in a proper salt and pepper mix.

Huì

Huì is a Beijing-born chef working in the UK. She writes The Asian Larder, with tested Asian recipes for British home cooks and honest advice on where to buy every ingredient.